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“Water is a great metaphor for collaborative leadership. It overcomes obstacles with its constant presence; moving over, around or wearing down. Today our world is facing some big challenges, economically, socially, environmentally, politically. Yet it has taken the global tsunami of COVID-19 for us to potentially wake up. In times of crisis, although difficult, beauty can emerge. An opportunity exists in the space between what was and what will be. What will this be for us in British Columbia? Well that depends on every one of us,” stated Kathy Bishop.

“It was both timely and relevant that the UVIC Environmental Law Clinic released Re-Inventing Rainwater Management on the same day that the Bowker Creek Forum was held at UVic. The day forced us to ‘think watershed’ and transcend jurisdictional boundaries. The politicians are listening. Geoff Young, CRD Chairman, stated that ‘cross boundary problems make managing rainwater more difficult, but some of the ideas they have put forward are ones we have started talking about’,” stated Eric Bonham.

“The 21st-century green city is possible. Instead of relying heavily on pipes and concrete, this new approach relies upon soil, trees and open space to naturally absorb, store, evaporate and filter rainwater. This low-impact development approach mimics the natural water cycle,” wrote Calvin Sandborn.

Located in the urbanized heartland of the Capital Regional District, the Bowker Creek watershed is shared by three municipalities – Victoria, Oak Bay and Saanich. “A desired outcome in holding the Bowker Creek Forum was to share information about successful approaches, so that they could be replicated in other jurisdictions. The forum was a chance for regional organizations, businesses and community members to learn about and celebrate the accomplishments of the Bowker Creek Initiative,” stated Tanis Gower.

“Over a long period of time, the Bowker Creek Initiative (BCI) has demonstrated how to apply a ‘regional team approach’ to urban watershed restoration in the Georgia Basin. The players driving the BCI have brought their shared vision to fruition through development of the Bowker Creek Blueprint.The Bowker Creek Forum on February 23, 2010 was a celebration of the Bowker Creek Blueprint. Because the Blueprint accomplishment is of province-wide significance, the Forum was also an opportunity for inter-regional learning,” stated Kim Stephens

Leadership Vancouver Island (LVI) was founded in 2005 in response a growing need for increased leadership capacity within Vancouver Island businesses, organization, and local government. “Our mission is to seek out and cultivate potential and emerging leaders. The program goal is to prepare community leaders across BC to take an active role in moving their communities forward by working with them to foster a better understanding of how the issues impacting their communities are interconnected and by forging stronger relationships among community and regional leaders,” stated Patrick Ross.

“CAVI, Convening for Action on Vancouver Island, had done a lot of work on fresh water sustainability and wanted to expand the coalition. The Dialogue in Nanaimo presented an opportunity for CAVI and Leadership BC to join forces, collaborate, and together connect with new audiences. The ‘Dialogue in Nanaimo’ was structured around a water sustainability panel. Rather than talking heads, the panel engaged in a form of ‘improv theatre’ to feed off each other in spontaneously expressing key messages about water,” stated Kathy Bishop.

Once the Bowker Creek regional team ‘let go’ of the ISMP Template, they applied a ‘knowledge-based approach’ to watershed restoration. The experience was transformational; and laid the foundation for Blueprint development. The regional team convened as an inter-disciplinary roundtable to synthesize their individual areas of knowledge. “Drainage, land use, environmental and social information was compiled and assessed in an holistic way that enabled the members of the team to apply their collective best judgment, reach-by-reach,” stated Jody Watson.

“What is the Dialogue in Nanaimo about? We want to entertain you a little bit. We want to engage you. We want to show you an atypical presentation – that is, a few vignettes taking a wander throughout the world of water sustainability. So, why are we doing this today? We want to structure some dialogue that perhaps will create some networking for the future. What outcome do we want? We would hope that the individuals in this room would learn some more about this incredibly critical component of our lives. We want you to seek, greet and meet folks in this room; and find out what other people are doing,” stated Patrick Ross.

The Dialogue in Nanaimo was organized and facilitated by Kathy Bishop of Leadership Vancouver Island, She recruited a team of and knowledgeable individuals who were willing to participate in an ‘improv theatre’ format rather than make formal presentations. “It was a team-building process, with the objective of becoming comfortable with the ‘improv format’. Kathy was doing her PhD at the University of Victoria, and we were part of her applied research. We came together as a team, and our camaraderie was on display for all to see on the day of the Dialogue.”